NSW welcomes 17 new firefighters into its ranks

Published: 17th May 2019

Seventeen new firefighters today graduated from the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Emergency Services Academy at Orchard Hills.

The state’s newest firefighters include a former flight attendant, teachers, paramedic and world champion stand-up paddle boarding athlete.

FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter congratulated the new recruits at today’s ceremony.

“Becoming a firefighter is no easy feat. We attract over 6,000 applications each year, yet of these thousands, only an elite few are chosen,” he said.

“Seventeen of that elite few stand before us today, each of them from diverse backgrounds but sharing one common goal – to protect the irreplaceable.

Commissioner Baxter said the graduates have trained with passion and dedication over the past 13 weeks.

“They are our second class of firefighters to graduate from our new Academy,” he said.

“These recruits have shown they have the diverse skills, capabilities and talents required to undertake the varied work that our firefighters do – from educating the community about fire safety and providing emergency medical care to responding to fires, natural disasters and hazmat incidents.

“They’ve been trained to be prepared for anything and I know they will uphold the high standards of integrity, courage and professionalism expected of a FRNSW firefighter.”

The following recruits will take up positions at fire stations in Sydney and regional NSW.

Name	Fire Station	Name	Fire Station
Danyon Barnes	Huntingwood	Bronwyn McDougall	City of Sydney
Terrene Black	City of Sydney	Danial McSpadden	Huntingwood
Kirsten Burnham	Mount Druitt	James Menere	Lakemba
Martin Doolan	Ropes Crossing	Sarah Moore	Ryde
Abbey Duke	Parramatta	Robert O’Brien	Moree
Sean Finnerty	City of Sydney	Daniel Randall	Baulkham Hills
Tim Hawkins	Cabramatta	Gary Warburton	Ashfield
Georgia Hughes	Silverwater	Caitlin Williams	Yennora
Jessica Lane	City of Sydney